the hum / By Bob Doran

This Year’s Model

Then on Wednesday, Aug. 4, WCA presents Acoustic Gestures: Nylon + Steel with guitarists Az Samad (fingerstyle) and Steve Lin, (classical).

Got a note from sax man Chris Noonan about the Humboldt Collective show Thursday at the Red Fox. The Humboldt Collective Vol.1 was a CD/marketing tool assembled by Brian Swizlo and company as a college project for a friend. Now they’re planning another. “The goal is to promote Humboldt music outside of the Redwood Curtain,” says Noonan. “‘What is Humboldt music,’ you ask? Humboldt represents a vast array of talent the spectrum of which is far-reaching. The idea is to create cross-genre compilations that have a good flow to them. The first album paired reggae, hip hop, funk, rock and gypsy jazz; the next volume may contain samba, bluegrass, vocal jazz, etc.”

While they’re working toward THC Vol. 2, they’re reissuing Vol. 1 and throwing a party to celebrate. “In order to represent all of Humboldt music you would need a weeklong festival,” says Noonan. But they’re squeezing a lot into one night: “The evening starts out with a champagne social featuring Berel Alexander and Vidagua, followed by SoHum’s NPK, Ishi Dube, Bump Foundation and Moo-Got-2. Chris Wixson will be the host of the evening and will definitely share some of his talents as well. Miles ‘Psy-Fi‘ Ross and The Middle Agent will both be spinning throughout the night.” With an apology to those not included, he invites any Humboldt musicians to submit work for the next comp via chris@fatbol.com. “We want to include as many people as we can who are serious about recording their music and getting it out there.”

Since meeting him at his now-closed Ijal’s Jamaican Kitchen, where he produced some great ital food, I’ve thought of Ras Melburn as a chef. Turns out he’s a musician too. When I ran into him at Reggae on the River he was handing out flyers for a show he’s doing this Thursday at Humboldt Brews with Mr. Majestic, a dancehall/hip hop artist from JA now living in the Bay Area. “Straight from Jamaica, live and direct,” says Ras Melburn, who sees a natural connection between his two career paths. “Music was inside I and I from when I and I was a baby,” he says, “and food is the staff of life — the two combine together and I and I have to share it with the people, because both are life.”

Wild Cajun fiddler Tom Rigney, formerly of The Sundogs, now plays with a jazzy band called Flambeau. He’s been coming up from his Sonoma County digs to play the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival for the last few years, to much acclaim. Thursday evening he plays for free on the Eureka Waterfront (foot of F) as part of the Eureka Summer Concert Series.

Most people don’t know about it since it’s mostly low-key, but every summer Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance brings some of the world’s top percussionists and dance instructors to Arcata for a week of workshops. Per tradition, they finish up with a Saturday night concert at HSU’s Van Duzer Theatre with all the teachers playing and dancing together.

They’re still headquartered in S.F. but McKinleyville seems to be a home away from home for The Pine Box Boys, who once again sing about murder and etc. this Saturday night at Six Rivers Brewery.

You can read elsewhere in this paper about the Ink People’s big Golden Road benefit Sunday at the Old Creamery in Arcata. That’s not the only Inker bennie this week: Wednesday, Aug. 4, Mad River Brewery Tasting Room in Blue Lake has Pints for Nonprofits with music by Inker Kyle Stasse aka DJ Knutz and proceeds going to the arts org — a very good cause.

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